1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of systems, methods, and electronic devices used to monitor the dispensing of liquids, in particular, beverages dispensed at a bar or restaurant.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bars and restaurants lose a significant amount of revenue due to pilferage at the point of sale, pilferage of bottles from the bar and storage areas and dispensing of drinks to xe2x80x9cbuddies,xe2x80x9d as well as due to manual, delayed, and error-prone methods of establishing and keeping metrics. Critical metrics such as pouring cost, pour accuracy and inventory values are calculated as infrequently as once a month, manually on xe2x80x9cinventoryxe2x80x9d day. The task of counting and measuring beverage inventory and calculating pouring costs is time consuming and open to intentional and unintentional errors.
Technical solutions exist that address some of the described problems for some of the beverages. For instance multiple serving bottles can be fitted with a control or counting device in the neck of the bottle, or drinks can be dispensed through a gun or other electro/mechanical device. Other solutions include measuring the amount poured prior to serving, or weighing bottles after each serving or at the end of a shift or week. These solutions are typically used in airports and casinos where customer satisfaction takes second place to controls.
Existing methods have a negative impact on customers and on the bar aesthetic, and are therefore rejected by the vast majority of owners. Thus, most casual and fine dining establishments choose to suffer pilferage and inefficiencies that are endemic to the industry, rather than aggravate their customers with controlled or measured pours and devices that disturb the ambiance and aesthetic of the point of sale.
There is a need for a service transaction and monitoring system that can efficiently record beverage sales and payment activity without directly controlling or measuring the drink served and without impacting the aesthetic of the bar. There is also a need for a system that automatically calculates pouring costs, pour accuracy, and inventory values at the end of each shift so that there is immediate, accurate accountability and continuous metrics for management. There is a need for a system that alerts employees to anomalies almost immediately so that they can be corrected on the spot. There is also a need to be able to audit sales activity on a per event basis so that management has an efficient and reliable method to arbitrate disputes. Finally, there is a need to have a common user interface and common reports for all the disparate disciplines needed to monitor and manage the beverage inventory and sales business regardless of the type of container from which the beverages are dispensed.
The present invention fulfills these needs.
The present invention provides a system, method, and device for monitoring service transactions, in particular, the dispensing of liquids. The system includes an electronic sensor device, data receiver, and personal computer. The system may also include a bottle opener/camera system, bar code scanner, point of sale system, bar camera, network, Web server, and paging system.
The invention provides a method for automatically detecting dispensing events including the steps of detecting an event of dispensing a liquid and detecting the type and amount of the liquid dispensed.
The invention also provides a method for automatically monitoring dispensing events including the steps of detecting an event of dispensing a liquid, determining the type and amount of liquid dispensed, and reconciling the dispensing event with a register ring-up.
The method may also include the steps of recording information about dispensing events and transmitting dispensing event information. The method may include the steps of determining the identity of the person who dispensed the dispensing event. The method may also include the step of saving video corresponding to the dispensing event. The method may also include the step of sending an electronic page on the occurrence of a particular event, such as when a drink has not been rung up within a specified period of time, or when an electronic sensor device is removed from a container.
The invention also provides an electronic sensor device which detects the dispensing of a liquid from a container. The sensor device is attached to the exterior of the container and does not contact the liquid or affect the flow of liquid from the container. The electronic sensor device transmits information about the dispensing event to a data receiver. The electronic sensor device may be attached to bottles, tap handles, or other multiple serving containers.